By M. Abubakar
Published September 09, 2026
During a White House event honoring emergency personnel on Tuesday, President Donald Trump shared a dramatic new account of his actions following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Speaking to attendees, Trump recounted being physically carried to safety by emergency responders near an unstable structure at Ground Zero.
“And I’ll never forget,” Trump stated. “We thought it was coming down on top of us, and two firemen, big strong guys — and I’m not the smallest guy in the world — they grabbed me under the arm, said, ‘Got to get out of here!'”
The statement represents the latest installment in an evolving narrative regarding the former New York property developer’s involvement in post-9/11 recovery efforts. While Trump has repeatedly presented himself as a central figure who led construction crews down to assist, rescue officials present at the time have consistently disputed those claims.
Absence from 25th Anniversary in New York
The story comes amid scrutiny surrounding Trump’s schedule for the 25th anniversary of the attacks, which claimed 2,977 lives. Rather than joining commemoration events in New York City, Trump will pay his respects at the Pentagon in Washington.
While reports suggested Trump was prevented from speaking at the New York memorial, both Trump and the White House strongly denied those assertions. Responding on Truth Social, Trump noted that no political figures deliver speeches at the official ceremony, calling it a “solemn ceremony!”
Despite the explanation, his absence leaves him separated from the primary memorial site in New York. Vice President JD Vance and four former U.S. presidents—Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush—are scheduled to attend the ceremony at Ground Zero. Following his Pentagon visit, Trump is slating a trip to Ireland to attend the Irish Open golf tournament at his family’s resort.
Evolving Claims and Honors
During Tuesday’s event on the White House Ellipse, featuring a 21-foot steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower, Trump expanded on his memories of the day. He described watching television alerts before looking out his window to see “things that I never want to see again,” stating he subsequently took his entire construction crew to Ground Zero.
Trump also presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor—to the family of Welles Crowther, a volunteer firefighter and equities trader known as the “Man in the Red Bandana” who died saving others in the South Tower.
“The Man in the Red Bandana. He’s become more famous than me, I don’t like it,” Trump quipped during the presentation.
